Zapping deep brain regions to quiet chronic back pain
NCT ID NCT07832188
First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing a noninvasive brain stimulation technique called temporal interference, which uses two slightly different electrical currents on the scalp to reach deep brain areas. The trial enrolls 60 adults with chronic non-specific low back pain and randomly assigns them to active stimulation, active stimulation plus another brain stimulation method, a superficial control, or a sham control. All participants also receive standard rehabilitation. The main goal is to see whether pain intensity and emotional symptoms improve after two weeks of treatment, with brain imaging used to track changes in how the hippocampus connects with other regions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dual-carrier-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation, a noninvasive brain stimulation technique also called temporal interference
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free, noninvasive way to ease chronic low back pain by targeting deep brain regions tied to pain processing. It could also point to the hippocampus as a useful target for treating pain that comes with anxiety or depression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, single-center study of 60 people, so any benefit may not hold up in larger trials or apply to other pain conditions. Brain stimulation can cause scalp tingling or headaches, and the sham control means some participants receive no active stimulation.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age between 18 and 80 years; 2. Meets the diagnostic criteria for non-specific low back pain as specified in the Chinese Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-specific Low Back Pain (2022) ; 3. Diagnosed with chronic non-specific low back pain within the past 3 months, or pain located between T12 and the gluteal fold for at least half of the days within the past 6 months; 4. VAS score ≥ 3 (Visual Analogue Scale, 0-10); 5. Mechanical pain induced by posture, activity, and movement (e.g., flexion and functional movement tasks); 6. Voluntarily agrees to participate in this study and has signed the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Clear etiology of specific low back pain, such as vertebral fracture, severe spinal cord/nerve root compression symptoms (progressive neurological deficit), spinal infection, tumor, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.; 2. Prior major lumbar surgery or implants (e.g., internal fixation, spinal cord stimulation devices, etc.), or recent (within 3 months) invasive analgesic treatments such as nerve blocks or radiofrequency ablation; 3. Contraindications to MEG or MRI, including the presence of ferromagnetic metal implants in the body (e.g., cardiac pacemakers, hearing aids, carotid artery stents, etc.), claustrophobia that precludes MEG examination, or failed MEG acquisition; 4. History of severe cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, or other conditions that contraindicate electrical stimulation; 5. Pregnancy or lactation; 6. Cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, or other conditions that prevent understanding or compliance with the study procedures; 7. Rheumatic diseases, connective tissue diseases, or diabetes.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Qilu hospital, Jinan, Shangdong
RECRUITINGJinan, Shandong, 250000, China
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